Tenterden Church of England Junior School

Inspection of Tenterden Church of England Junior School Recreation Ground Road, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6RA

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good

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The executive headteacher of this school is Tina McIntosh. This school is part of the Tenterden Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Stuart Reeves, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Clive Thomas. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and one other school. 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to attend this caring community-minded school. They know there is a trusted adult with whom they can share concerns. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils understand the school values of respect, faithfulness, perseverance, and love. The school enhances these through consistently applied rules and routines. As a result, pupils behave well and show resilience when completing their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations and pupils work hard to meet them. They listen intently in lessons and engage in rich debate in class. Pupils work together well and share their ideas excitedly. Pupils’ work shows they are well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has prioritised pupils mental and physical health. As a result, pupils know how to keep fit and healthy. They understand the importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise. All pupils have the opportunity to represent the school in a range of sports and enjoy the wide range of sports clubs the school offers. Pupils also benefit from the school’s work with the local emotional well-being service. They speak to a range of professionals and receive additional therapeutic support if they need it. Consequently, pupils share how they feel confidently and seek help when they require it.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. Staff have identified the important knowledge and vocabulary pupils need precisely. Pupils learn the important skills and knowledge they need. They recall number facts with high levels of fluency and have a secure understanding of mathematical concepts. Pupils write in a number of styles accurately. Most pupils recall and apply their prior knowledge consistently well. However, in a small number of subjects there is a lack of clarity when pupils should learn specific skills. As a result, pupils do not always deepen their understanding sufficiently.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers have sound subject knowledge. They explain learning clearly. Teachers check pupils understanding carefully. These checks help staff to identify what pupils know and can remember. This helps teachers identify gaps in learning and plan additional support that helps them to fill these gaps quickly.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school identifies the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Teachers use this to adapt the curriculum to enable pupils to achieve well. In most subjects, this is very effective. As a result, they learn the skills and knowledge they need. However, in a small number of subjects these adaptations are not designed precisely enough. Consequently, some pupils with SEND do not deepen their understanding in these subjects.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils, including those in the early stages of reading, become fluent readers. Staff deliver the school’s reading programme effectively. The books that pupils read are high quality and matched to the sounds and letters they know precisely. This helps pupils practise their reading independently. Pupils who fall behind receive the help and support they need. This helps them to catch up quickly. 15 and 16 October 2024

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The school is calm and orderly. Pupils know the school rules and follow them thoughtfully. They understand how frequent attendance will help them. However, pupils do not attend frequently enough. Persistent absence, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, is too high. Leaders understand this. They analyse attendance carefully and offer a wide range of support in school and through external agencies. This is yet to have the desired impact.

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy a range of trips and visits to enhance their learning. For example, they experience the life of evacuees on a visit to a local railway station. Pupils experience a rich range of cultures and beliefs through the religions, artists, and historical figures they study. They hold mature attitudes to difference and diversity.

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Staff are positive about the support and training they receive. They enjoy working at the school. Governance is strong. Trustees know the school well and make appropriate decisions to support the school. Governors are knowledgeable and well informed. They share the same ambitions as leaders and hold them to account effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not designed with the same precision as the best practice in the school. As a result, in these subjects pupils do not deepen the key skills and knowledge that pupils learn as well as they could. The school should identify the precise knowledge and concepts that pupils need to learn and to revisit in all subjects as they follow the curriculum.  In a small number of wider curriculum subjects, the adaptations staff make for pupils with SEND are not precise enough. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not learn the important knowledge and skills as well they could. The school must ensure that adaptations are matched precisely to pupils’ needs to enable them to access the curriculum fully and learn all the important skills and knowledge they need.  Persistent absence at the school is too high for too many pupils, particularly those who are more disadvantaged. This means that these most vulnerable pupils are missing out

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

on too much of their vital education. The school must continue and intensify their work with parents to ensure that all pupils attend more frequently. 15 and 16 October 2024

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Website www.tenterdenprimaryfederation.kent.sch. uk/ Date of previous inspection 11 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Tenterden Church of England Junior School is a Church of England voluntary controlled school. The school’s most recent section 48 Statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodists schools took place in February 2020. The school’s next section 48 inspection will take place within eight school years.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school manages wraparound breakfast and after-school clubs for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form 15 and 16 October 2024

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of the school’s education provision.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team met with the headteacher as well as with other leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with governors and representatives of the trust. They also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the diocese.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspection team also sampled pupils’ work in English and geography.

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 The inspection team considered the views of parents and carers through their responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Clarke Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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